Sat, 26 Dec 2009
Merry Christmas to AllWe had a quiet Christmas around here, but it was nice. We had a "sometimes traditional, depending how we feel" dinner beside the Christmas tree.
We opened the traditional present-the-night-before. Surprise, pajamas all around (again.)
And watched Christmas movies until late. The kids didn't go to bed until after midnight and Marc and I after that. But we got a few hours sleep. Our kids, who used to sleep in on Christmas morning, were up by five. They let us "sleep" until six. We got up and looked to see what Santa had brought. Santa seems to be getting forgetful, because he brought a couple of the exact same things as last year. Maybe he should keep a list. Maybe his elves are slacking on the job.
Then we ate traditional quiche on the traditional Christmas plates. Oh, and drank traditional eggnog out of the traditional mugs. (See a pattern here?)
Then we opened presents. This is the first Christmas ever for our kids when Lego did not arrive under our tree. Wow. I think the kids were happy anyway. Maybe we needed more construction toys because the tree tried to fall down when the presents were removed. So, we've got another Christmas clean-up chore of trying to fix the stand on the tree, which seems to have broken, Or maybe we'll get a pre-lit tree. But we like our traditional tree. It was pretty this year.
I didn't mention the weather. It had been raining for a couple of days before Christmas, and we woke to rain, but by about eight it started snowing. It wasn't a lot of snow, but enough to have a white Christmas. Very nice. In this picture, Bryan is outside for his "traditional" barefoot run in the snow. Crazy kid! Melody is wearing a new Christmas scarf from Grandma and a DuBray hoodie that was her gift to wear because she lost the other one. Melody's friend, Alysha, is wearing the scarf the Melody and I made for her.
Melody and Thomas played with their friends, while the rest of us relaxed and tinkered with new toys. In the afternoon, our neighbors came over and we had dinner together. Then games and dessert and visiting.
I think I forgot to mention the cooking of goodies that we did before Christmas. Besides cheesecakes for teachers and friends, we also baked cookies to give away. One night we worked on this together. It was fun. And here we are.
Merry Christmas to all. We love you!
Sun, 20 Dec 2009
SnowWe hear about snow across the nation, so we hope all of our friends and family are staying warm and safe. We only got a dusting of snow two days ago. It made things pretty for a few hours, but now it is mostly muddy around here. More snow is predicted before Christmas.
Bryan had a very busy week. Between working, school and finals, and many hours of rehearsal for Rising Generation, he was pushing himself pretty hard. So naturally, he caught a cold. The concert last night was very nice, but by the time Bryan got home, he had a fever and declared the need to sleep for a week. Hopefully a few extra hours today will do it since he has finals on Monday and Tuesday. Let's hear it for Christmas vacation…
The rest of us? Well, I guess we got to finish Christmas shopping. And got cheesecakes successfully delivered to kids' teachers. Melody had tons of homework. We also finally got to see the sixth Harry Potter movie. And Marc got a little closer to the last of his migrations at work by doing two more middle of the night ones. Of course we all finished the week by attending Bryan's concert to get in the mood for Christmas and eating the traditional ice cream afterward.
Tue, 15 Dec 2009
An early holiday visitI haven't written because I was busy with company. It was a very anticipated week since my mom and brother got to come out. Their visit went by way too fast, but we enjoyed talking and game-playing. One day, Melody and Thomas got out of school early and we went to the City Museum and had a lot of fun.This is one of the new slides on the roof. There is also a Ferris wheel on the roof. It was very high and a little scary. We had sunshine, but didn't stay long outside because it was cold.
At the City museum there are tunnels to explore. This one ran right under the floor.
We took lots of pictures.
We explored the Crystal Caverns.
We roasted marshmallows, and Wayne got to get in his first ball pit.
We thought of Michael, who's on a mission in Neosho, Missouri.
On Saturday, Bryan performed with the Rising Generation Youth Choir. They marched in the Santa Parade in Old St. Charles.
And then they sang at a special event at a church building in St. Louis. The music was really good and so I'm looking forward to their next concert, this Saturday.
Before Wayne left, we made cookies to send to Michael.
Melody also had a choir concert. It was for school and we enjoyed this one also.
We didn't get the snow that Mom wished for, but we had very cold weather and wind one day. It was so nice to have company in December. Thanks Mom and Wayne for making the time to come see us. It was great to have you visit. Now all we have to look forward to is Christmas. Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree.
Mostly, we've just had typical Missouri December. Hope we will get snow before Christmas. The cardinals are pretty all year, but best in the snow. If you want to come see cardinals (or us) just let us know and we'll be ready.
Fri, 27 Nov 2009
ThanksgivingOut Thanksgiving was low-key this year. It was just the five of us. We did a simple turkey dinner with rolls and pies. I think that since everyone has been pretty busy lately, they mostly were thankful for a day to relax. Although we all have many things to be grateful for this year. I almost forgot to take a picture of the turkey, but remembered before it was all sliced up. That's Marc with the turkey, and I'm not trying to call him a turkey by including him in the picture. 
Melody got in the picture-taking mood and took pictures of her food. I was thinking that this is a new diet idea. If you had to take a picture of everything you ate and look at it later (or show it to others), maybe you would eat less. I think I'll write a book and call it the Kodak Diet…Notice I'm showing you Melody's plate and not mine.
After dinner, we worked off the calories by doing dishes and putting up Christmas decorations. The kids did the tree while Marc and I did dishes.
Then we ate pies and watched some old videos of the kids when they were little. We haven't done that in years and it was fun to see them little again. They were so cute.
Bryan starts a JOB today. He will be working at Subway (at the mall) through the holidays. I hope he enjoys it. I'm sure he will enjoy having a little extra money to spend.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009
LegoI found a Lego brick in the dryer today. It reminded me that I haven't found one in the dryer for a long time. Or a rock. I guess my kids are growing up.
There is some sadness to this, but it is awfully nice to be able to have Bryan drive places on his own. He had a dentist appointment the other day and as I drove him there he said, "You know, you didn't have to come with me for this. I could have driven myself". Wow, old habits die hard.Of course, for a dentist appointment I have to pay the bill and schedule a new visit so I'm not entirely unneeded yet, but it is a whole new area to explore. Just as when he turned twelve and I could suddenly leave the kids without a babysitter. That was a great feeling of freedom. I'm sure I'll do a lot of extra worrying with Bryan driving, but it's another big step and one that I'm sure I will get used to and enjoy.
I haven't written in almost two weeks, but not much has happened around here. I have a few pictures of leaf raking, and that is an ongoing excitement.We're going to save time on Halloween costumes next year and let Thomas go as a leaf bag.
I've been distracted by books that Marc got at the library book sale (see how I've blamed it on him?)
Thomas stayed home sick the other day and spent a good part of the day drawing on the white board (in-between resting). I liked this picture that he drew.
So, next week we'll have a picture of a turkey or something like that. Hope you all enjoy a happy Thanksgiving.
Fri, 06 Nov 2009
Battling natureIt has been a beautiful week. The rain of October is gone and has been replaced by sunshine. And ladybugs! The warmth brings them out to sit on the back side of the house. A few weeks ago we had them for a couple of warm days, but the rain and cold drove them away. This year seems to be one when all the conditions are right for them because they are back. (A couple of years ago we had the same problem with box elder bugs…
Anyway, they occasionally find their way in through the crack in the back door, so I've been collecting them and throwing them back outside. There were so many a few days ago that I decided to try a new technique. I just vacuumed them all up! Icky, huh? We're learning to catch them in mid-air with the hose too.
The other nature we're battling this week is the tree in the front yard. It grows so fast and makes it hard for the kids to mow the front lawn. Last year I pruned it way back and it was still overgrown by summer. So this year I got the kids to help me and we pruned it even more. It was a big job and if it isn't enough I'll have to get a professional next year.
The kids could help me because they had two days off school this week for state teacher's meetings. It's been a nice break even if we did have to prune the tree. There are also more leaves to rake in the backyard…
Sat, 31 Oct 2009
More HalloweenI forgot about the other thing we did today. The weather was so beautiful so we got outside and raked the leaves. We've had so much rain that there hasn't been a good time to do it. The tree in the front yard only had eleven leaves left this morning. Melody climbed the tree and picked the ones that she could reach. The tree in the back yard is a different story because it will keep its leaves until Christmas. So there will be lots more leaves to rake.
Raking leaves can be fun when everyone helps. Today the leaves were pretty wet so no one enjoyed jumping in them though.
Happy Halloween
I don't have Halloween pictures yet, but have pictures from our trunk-or-treat activity at the church last night. Tonight the kids will go trick-or-treating with some friends (supervised by Bryan) and Marc and I will sit in our driveway and pass out the candy. We will probably bring out the fire pit and start a fire to stay warm, although it is a pretty nice day. I also invited a couple of friends over.
We've had rain all week again, and it is a good thing it cleared for last night and today. I heard yesterday that this was the rainiest October here, ever. But, incredibly enough, the weather has been nice on Saturdays.
The big events this week, were that Bryan got his driver's license. His mean parents finally caved and let him get it.
Spurred by that event, Marc finally decided on the car he wanted for his mid-life crisis. So Bryan's first solo driving event was to help Marc and me bring the new car home. Bryan and I met Marc in St. Louis and Bryan drove the Honda home by himself. Since it was raining and in the middle of rush hour, it was no small feat. I'm sure this opens a whole new chapter in our lives as parents.
Melody was the only kid who wanted to carve a pumpkin this year. She did a good job of it and we used it at trunk-or-treat. Thank goodness that somebody has Halloween spirit. Remember that she also decorated the house. She does look like it is really quite a chore in this picture though. Maybe next year Marc and I will have to carve our own Jack-O-Lanterns.
She did a good job though.
Here is a picture of Marc passing out candy and Thomas in his Percy Jackson costume. Thomas always wants to be someone from a book he is reading. Or maybe it was just an excuse to use a sword. His shirt says "Camp Halfblood" He made that himself. I helped with the sword.
Bryan is too old for trick-or-treating so I'm not sure where he was all evening. Hopefully not gambling somewhere.
And here is the picture I took of Melody with two of her friends.
I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween.
Sat, 24 Oct 2009
Sunshine
Today was an absolutely beautiful day! Most unusual was that we had such a beautiful day on a Saturday, and one with no commitments (except Bryan's play which I'll tell about later). So, when we woke up, I told everyone to pick a chore to do that would help out the family and then do it quickly so we could go do something fun. Bryan and Melody cleaned the rain gutters.
And then we went to Old Town St. Charles to take some pictures.
Our pictures are still a work in progress. Can you see the pattern?
We had a picnic and then the traditional ice cream. We even asked a nice lady to take our picture.
Later, we went to the library book sale and bought more books that we don't have shelf space for…
Melody helped me by cleaning out our school supply drawer. She is a big help. It's a good thing that she likes organizing things. I need organizing.
Bryan had a 3:00 call for the last night of his school play. We attended the performance of "The Haunting Trio" last night and I thought it was good. They did "The Lottery", "The Monkey's Paw", and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." All were very creepy and spooky.
Here is Bryan in The Lottery.
And here he is talking to Icabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow.
It was fun to watch the plays. And fun that they are now over.
One last note about our week. Melody (and I) spent hours working on a "cell project" for her science class. What can I say about class projects? All I can say is that I, I mean she, had better get an A on this project.
This picture doesn't even show the whole project. She had to put these on boards, and label them, and make keys. It took forever. She did a similar project last year in sixth grade. We are going to save these however in case she has to do it again in biology Was that enough whining about school projects?
Mon, 19 Oct 2009
Some of us got sick.Melody and a friend decorated for Halloween for me this year. I love that I don't have to do it. But after they did it, the spiders came and did their part because this is what our bushes looked like the other morning. Very thorough, huh?
Last weekend was homecoming at East High School.We all went to the parade because it was just down the street from our house. Here is a picture of the band.
They had an impressive group of floats, a string of Corvettes for the royalty, and they threw hundreds of pounds of candy at the crowd. So everyone had a good time. Bryan went to school after to help with the set for his play, and then stayed after for the football game. He chose to go to the church dance instead later that night, because he likes dressing up for Halloween. He took the best costume award for his "Hyrum Smith" costume (but that's not really who he was trying to be…
After Bryan's busy day, when he told me he wasn't feeling well on Sunday morning, I figured he was just tired, but then he got a fever and I realized he was really sick. So he stayed home from school Monday and Tuesday. Since the weather was cold and dreary and I didn't feel that great either, I enjoyed the two days to stay home and watch movies with him. He had to go back to school Wednesday for the PSAT (there's no make up day.) Hope he did well anyway.
Then Thomas stayed home sick on Thursday and Friday. So it was an unproductive week for me.When Thomas began to feel better on Saturday, he and I made a sword out of paper mache for his Halloween costume. It was fun to make. It dried quickly and was ready to be painted this morning before school. I love making things out of paper mache.Costumes for Halloween are just about done.
Bryan's play opens this week, so costumes are done for it also.
Melody continues healthy. She went to a babysitting class at the hospital on Saturday, so now she's an expert and ready for a babysitting career. She actually likes kids.
A final picture. We've had a jay at our feeder lately. These guys are so much more polite and less aggressive than the Stellar jays in the West. We love to see Blue Jays, but they are shy and never stay long.
Wow, three pictures and not one of the kids. I'll have to do better.
Fri, 09 Oct 2009
CostumesOctober has always been a time to sew Halloween costumes, and I think that it is fun, but this month in addition to Halloween we've had several other reasons to make costumes. First, Bryan had to dress in yellow for a drama club "Olympics."
This week is homecoming for Bryan's high school so he has dressed up oddly every day. One day he wore his wet suit with his bathing suit. And here is his costume for "decades day."
Today is Egyptian Day for the seventh graders at Melody's school. They are studying Egypt. Hope she has fun.The costume was really fun to make.
I'm home finishing up costumes for Bryan's school play. I have one more trip to make to JoAnn's. (Maybe I should buy stock in the company. Or maybe in Goodwill.) And then I'll think of working on Thomas' Percy Jackson costume. That's only for Halloween and it's still a long way off…
One more note. Something deep and ponderous. The other day Thomas wanted to borrow my camera to go outside and take some pictures. Then he came running back in and said, "I need a banana!" He took it outside with him. Later I looked at the pictures on the camera. There were various pretty cloud pictures. And this one. Some time if I ever have time, I plan to ask Thomas about it.
Sun, 27 Sep 2009
A busy weekendThe big event this weekend was Melody's birthday slumber party on Friday night and Saturday. She invited four friends for pizza, crafts, movies, and a little sleep. I think they had a good time, but we were all sleepy on Saturday.
But another big event of the weekend was Bryan's date with Shannon McGee to her Homecoming. They did consent to pose for a couple of pictures before the dance and Bryan said later that they'd had a good time.
Today was Melody's real birthday and she was glad to leave Primary to go to Young Women's. We also opened more presents today and had a macaroni and cheese with hot dog birthday dinner. That was just Melody's default dinner because she could never decide on anything else to have.
Today she is really twelve. Doesn't she look older?
The big present was from Marc and me. We gave her a sheet and comforter set (Who invited that kid?)
Yes, I "burned" the hot dogs because I like them that way. Whew, now that birthday celebrations are over, maybe we'll be able to get some rest…or Halloween costumes finished, then some rest…
Sun, 20 Sep 2009
Notes on Fifth Grade campThomas decided to write about fifth grade camp on his own blog. So if you'd like to hear about the experiences he had at camp, go to his blog and read more. There will be more than one installment.
Sat, 19 Sep 2009
Kids Expo and Balloon GlowI didn't ever write about last weekend, I guess I was too despondent about Thomas being away at camp all week to function well…
Anyway, we had fun last weekend with an open air painting class at the park by City Hall. Melody, Thomas, and I walked over there instead of our usual Saturday morning chores. The kids had fun painting and I got to visit with several friends.
There was a Kids Expo going on and the Rec-Plex was free for the day.
So we went ice skating and swimming. I didn't last very long ice skating because I was wearing shorts, short socks, and didn't have gloves with me. What a wimp. Melody and Thomas did a little better.
Sunday evening we took Thomas to camp. They rushed him off, so I only got this one picture.
He came back on Thursday evening with tales of fishing, hiking, a ropes course and lots of cooperation activities, good food, campfires, and a visit to "the mud cave." It sounds like a lot of fun. I'm glad that he was able to go.
Then last night we got to go to the annual Balloon Glow in St. Louis at Forest Park. We got there early for a picnic dinner, and had a fun walk all the way across the beautiful park, taking lots of pictures on the way. Marc is the tiny person on the bridge in this picture.
We got to the balloon staging area just as it was getting dark and just as they started to inflate balloons. We stopped to see the Energizer Bunny first, because this is the most recognizable balloon. The race is centered around this balloon. This year, being the 20th anniversary, they had a birthday cake balloon to go with it. Melody wanted her picture taken separately with it because of her birthday next week.
Then we just stood around watching all the balloons. When a balloon is successfully inflated, an airhorn is blown and the balloon flames are turned on to make the balloons glow to celebrate. It was fun to be in the midst of all of this. I love all the activities that go on at Forest Park.
Thu, 10 Sep 2009
Labor DayWe had a hard time trying to decide where to go for Labor Day and finally decided on a camping trip to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. This was to bring closure to the trip we took a couple of years ago where we got there too late to get any tickets for the "good" tours (so we basically drove there for nothing). But this time, I almost waited too long and couldn't get a campsite… So we stayed in Bowling Green at the KOA (only thing available…someday I'll learn to plan ahead).
But we had fun anyway. It was pouring in St. Louis when we left.
We did spend one night in the tent in a rather loud and exciting thunderstorm. But the weather didn't affect us down in the cave. Mammoth Cave is, by far, the longest cave system in the world, but is mostly a "dry cave" so isn't particularly spectacular. We ate our lunch in the cafeteria underground, and hiked for four miles on our tour. I'm glad we went, but we have prettier caves right here in Missouri.
Bowling Green is where Corvettes are made. I would have enjoyed going on a factory tour, but since it was a weekend, they were not running and so we went to the Corvette museum instead and learned more than most people would want to know about Corvettes. I think Marc enjoyed it. There were some pretty cars there, and lots of people who were way more into cars than I.
We went to a Kentucky farm for homemade ice cream
and Melody and Thomas did a corn maze.
All the kids enjoyed the play area. Bryan liked being pushed around in this pipe. It would have made me throw up.
We found a couple of letterboxes to add to our growing log book. This time there were no mosquitoes.
I enjoyed seeing that we still remember how to camp and set up the tent and cook our meals. We had a little trouble cooking over a fire in the rain, and ate our tinfoil dinners in the dark, but it was nice to get away as a family. Here we are eating by the light of the van, since we forgot to bring a lantern. When you don't camp for awhile, you tend to forget what you need…
Now it's back to the routine. Except that Thomas has fifth grade camp next week. And then it will be Melody's birthday. And then Halloween…Where does time go?
Sun, 30 Aug 2009
Weekend funA week and a half into the new school year. Our sandwiches already ran out and I had to make a stack of new ones yesterday. The kids seem happy with their new schedules and teachers. No one is failing anything yet ha ha! Thomas has carried his cello to school twice and thinks carrying it as a backpack works the best. Can you picture that?
Last weekend Bryan, Melody and I went on a float trip down the Merremac river. We've done this before as a family in our kayacs, but this was with church in rubber rafts. It was a beautiful day. Melody got to go even though she isn't quite twelve yet because I went as a driver. Here she is with her friend, Stacy, who is already twelve. Needless to say, Melody is eager for her birthday to get here. She is tired of being younger than everybody. In fact, yesterday she went to a birthday partyof a friend in her class who turned thirteen! So naturally, she is eager to be twelve.
Bryan wore a wetsuit on the trip. Since the weather has been cool, I kind of wished I had one. I solved the problem by staying dry until it got warm later in the day. 
The weather this weekend was beautiful again. Two weekends in a row is probably some kind of a record. Yesterday, we went to the park together so Thomas could fulfill a requirement for Webelos. He prepared tinfoil dinners for us (with help from me and Melody) and cooked them and cleaned up.
While we waited for dinner to cook, we played tennis. In spite of how good we look, we aren't very good. We need to play more often.
Then we ate our dinners. Yummy! Good job, Thomas!
Wed, 19 Aug 2009
First day of schoolI just realized that I took pictures of when the kids and I went letterboxing. We got to see an old school in town with beautiful architecture. The final clue was at the original schoolhouse. What a difference. Actually, Thomas took most of the pictures because he was intrigued by the architecture.
One day we went to a great store called Leftovers, Inc. where we bought some recyclables to make crafts. Melody and Thomas had fun making a city for their "squishies" (little plastic animals).
Since then we've been getting ready for school to start. We filled the freezer with sandwiches for lunches. Bryan likes salami and cheese and Melody likes cream cheese and ham on tortillas. Thomas still doesn't like food that much. Over the years he's eaten cheese and ketchup sandwiches, jelly sandwiches. This year we made some cream cheese and cheese on tortillas, and some egg on croissant for him. We'll see.
And made traditional pencil cookies.
We packed lunches the night before. Of course this organization will only last a little while.
Today Bryan and I got up early to go to 6 AM seminary. I got rained on when I went walking, not a very auspicious beginning. (Last year the weather made us only miss walking a handful of days during the whole year.) I dropped Bryan at school. Melody and Thomas were up early and seemed excited for their first day of school. We'll see how it went when they all get home this afternoon.
Hmm. Thomas doesn't look that excited, does he? Well, I think he doesn't really like having his picture taken, but I think he likes school.
Wed, 12 Aug 2009
TilesI said that Marc and Bryan put new tile in our entryway while we were in California. Here is a picture of their efforts. It looks very nice.
Since we've been back we haven't done too much. The kids registered for school. We bought tons of school supplies and a few other things so we could be ready for school to start.
We rented a cello so that Thomas can take cello lessons this year.
We went letterboxing and got bitten by mosquitos. We've played video games and watched movies and relaxed, getting ready to start our crazy life again.
Tonight is Thomas' "meet the teacher " night, but since his teacher this year will be the same teacher as he had in third grade we already know her. He is excited (thankfully) about having her again. I hope she feels the same.
Sun, 02 Aug 2009
The ZooIt has been so nice around here this week since wehave been home. Actually, most of the summer has been fairly mild. So we went to the zoo on Friday. We had fun riding the zoo train
and seeing the animals.
We really have a nice zoo here in St. Louis.
The kids have registration for school this week. Can you believe that school starts in two weeks? Summer is always way too short!
Vacation in California
Melody, Thoma, and I flew to California for a week. Marc didn't come because he had to work, and Bryan had chosen to attend summer school. He also had a test scheduled to challenge a class at school. So both of those things kept him from going with us, although he would have enjoyed seeing family also. Anyway, we flew to Sacramento, where we got to spend a night with Debbie and her family.
Pam took us to the train station the next morning and we took the train to Fresno.The train was a new experience for all of us. We liked it a lot. There was more room and we could eat, ply cards, and get up to move around when we wanted.
Since temperatures in Fresno were over 100, we worked hard to stay cool. We went to the Forestiere Underground Gardens,
We swam,
Then we went to Pismo and Avila beaches. We spent a beautiful day relaxing while the kids dug in the sand. For dinner we went out for seafood. Thomas made us order a sampler plate so he could try squid and clams. He is about to eat squid in the last picture. He just wanted to say he'd done it.
I went backpacking with Wayne while Melody and Thomas celebrated pioneer day and had fun with Grandma. He outfitted me and took me to the Mineral King Wilderness area in Sequoia/Kings Canyon. The drive was scary and long, but the trip was fantastic.
We fit so much into our week. We got to visit with Katie and Lara. We swam with them and ate strawberry shortcake.
We builded and bowled, created and crafted.
And finished with another train ride and visit with Marilyn, Debbie, and Pam, and their families. The kids enjoyed playing with cousins and we all enjoyed visiting and eating ice cream.
What a fun week! In spite of it all, we were happy to arrive home safely and see Marc and Bryan, who had tiled our entryway while we were gone. It was also nice to sleep in our own beds. It always is. Thanks to everyone we visited for a great time.
Sun, 19 Jul 2009
typoI wish I knew how to change my blog after it's been posted, but I don't and haven't had time to ask Marc. Anyway, just wanted to mention that I don't know what ling hours are, but Marc has probably done those too. I meant to say that his hours have been long. Maybe ling hours are those late night ones when he should be sLeepING.
The Muny
We really haven't done that much as a family this summer. Marc has been putting in ling hours at work and coming home tired. Bryan is now in summer school which also puts a damper on things. But on Saturday evening we went to the Muny together. The Muny is a summer outdoor theater in St. Louis. Every year when the schedule comes out we excitedly pick out the shows we want to go to. They do eight each year and we usually want to go to about six of them. But then the hot weather, or rain, or something else usually gets in the way. Since the plays don't start until dark, it makes for a very late evening and we are often too tired. We've gone before but left at intermission because Melody and Thomas were too tired to stay up any later. Anyway, last night we went to Godspell. It was short enough that we even stayed for the whole play. It was good.Here we are waiting in line for the free seats.
We then enjoy a picnic dinner while waiting for the play to start. This is tradition. It is very casual.
There are still three plays left this summer. Maybe we will make it to another one if the planets all line up…
Thu, 16 Jul 2009
A belated entryOops, I just realized that I skipped Marc's birthday in my blog entries. We really did celebrate, and on the very afternoon after I made my last entry. Marc's birthday was on the second and we celebrated by eating the requisite lasagna.
Marc's pile-o-presents was smaller than those the kids get, but he is much harder to shop for. This one was made of mostly paper, but not the green kind.
Marc usually tries to "read" what's inside the presents, and got one right this year (but only because I left the packing slip sitting on the table…
Then we ate ice cream. I guess I should have picked the brand of ice cream more carefully. Marc tried to be insulted, but he knows as well as I do that it is true.
Then he blew out the candles. We had to use big candles to represent ten years each. There's one little one in there somewhere.
And we all ate lots of ice cream. Happy belated birthday, Marc.
I think I forgot to post this because we made a quick trip to Colorado afterward. We went because Marc had the third off to celebrate Independence Day. We just went for the weekend to explore the Boulder area. We enjoyed seeing the mountains together and watched fireworks from the hotel jacuzzi, but it was a long drive.
Otherwise, we haven't done much in the month of July. Bryan started summer school so he can get another PE semester out of the way. He complains a lot about it, but it WAS his choice to go so I don't listen much to the whining. I've had a great time quilting and doing a few other projects with the kids. I hate how fast the summer is going. Melody, Thomas and I will go to California next week, just for a week. Then it will be time to think about getting ready for the start of school. 
Thu, 02 Jul 2009
Photo walk prize winnersYesterday was so nice, that we decided to go to Laumeier sculpture park in St. Louis. I'd been wanting to see this place ever since we moved here, but had gotten a less than enthusiastic response from the kids. Anyway, the weather was nice, and since it is near where Marc works, I proposed that we meet him for a picnic dinner there. The kids and I took cameras and made a contest of it. Bryan insisted on a prize for the winner, but naturally the judge found that everyone took an equal number of prize winners, so we all shared the ice cream prize when we got home last night. Here are the prize winners for your viewing pleasure.(In no particular order)
Wed, 01 Jul 2009
Not Costa RicaWhile Bryan, Marc and I were in Costa Rica, Dad and Sheila came to visit and keep Melody and Thomas from getting in trouble. Near as we can tell, they all had a great time and consumed lots of sugar, stayed up til dawn…well, actually, we don't know all they did because it was "grandparent time" but they all seemed to come out of the experience unscathed (Dad and Sheila looked a little tired… The weather was St. Louis at its worst- hot and humid- so it's amazing they did anything at all besides hiding in the basement. Anyway, they toured Old Town St. Charles.
Saw some art. 
Went to the zoo and petted stingrays.
Went to the science center, one of our favorite hangouts.
And when we got back, we took them to our favorite toxic waste site, and climbed to the highest spot in the county.
Thanks so much to you, Dad and Sheila, for taking such good care of Melody and Thomas so we could go on our trip. Sorry it was so hot while you were here. The weather cooled down right after you left and now it is beautiful. Want to come back?
Tue, 30 Jun 2009
Costa Rica Days 7-10We spent two days at the beach. On e of the days was at a national park where we saw monkeys and the sand was white. In most of the rest of the country the beaches are black because of the volcanoes. Either way, the beaches have so much life on them. Every shell has a crab or a snail in it. We even had a crab in our hotel room.
The beaches were great for "Super Blancos" like we are. You could sit in the shade and still enjoy the beach. We survived without sunburns. The water was warm and wonderful for swimming.
After the beach, we traveled back to San Jose for our last two nights. On the way there, we stopped at an oxcart factory. Perhaps you have seen the beautiful painted oxcarts that are "typical" in Costa Rica? It was neat to see these artisans at work.
The last day of the trip we went whitewater rafting. The rapids were class two and three. It was a nice end to a really fun trip.
Costa Rica Days 4-6
I mentioned how nice it was to have someone else do the cooking and cleaning up while we were on vacation. The food we ate was good. I was in heaven to have fresh pineapple and fresh juice at just about every meal. We did have a lot of beans and rice (three times a day!) but had a variety of other things with it. I did take a picture of every meal we ate, because I like doing such things, but will not post them all here.
We saw lots of rain and cloud forests, and lots of birds, but one of the most exciting things we did was go zip-lining through the forest canopy. I thought this sounded fun but had no idea how much fun it would be. The "extreme" zip-lining course that we did was set up with fourteen zip lines, one rappel, and a Tarzan swing. The last zip line was over a kilometer long. You are attached to the line so it is safe, but must put on the brakes with your gloved hand. Marc was behind me and he would come in so fast, smoke would be coming from his glove!
We visited a local elementary school where they did regional dances for us. This group of 8-11 year olds are the best in the country for their ages. It is a very rural school (of 15 kids) and they were very impressive. Our visit was also a highlight for me.
We visited a high school the next day where we participated in a reforestation project and planted a tree each. Good luck to my tree. I think I heard it wimpering as I selected it.
The following morning we loaded the bus and drove down to the Pacific coast.
Here we went on a bird and crocodile tour that was on a large river that emptied to the sea.
It also included some mangrove swamps that were filled with a great variety of birds. The adults were the ones mostly enjoying the bird watching, but kids and adults alike were impressed with the crocodiles, especially when our boat driver got out of the boat, BAREFOOTED, and fed them some chicken with his bare hands.
We ended up at our nicest hotel yet, which was located right off a beautiful beach.
Mon, 29 Jun 2009
Costa Rica Days 1-3We had so much fun in Costa Rica! We went for ten days with a small group from Bryan's school. I'd been excited about the things we were going to see, but didn't even think until we got there about the difference of doing an all -inclusive vacation. Usually we go camping or to a timeshare or impose on family…but on this vacation I didn't have to do anything except worry about myself for ten whole days! That was so nice. Since I was not a chaperone on the trip, I didn't even have to worry about Bryan or any of the kids! Melody and Thomas stayed home with Dad and Sheila and I didn't worry about them because I knew they were having a great time with their grandparents. I'll post some pictures of what they did during our absence also. It may take me a couple posts to complete my story of our trip. Anyway, we were driven all over Costa Rica by a fantastic driver named Alex. He drove our comfy bus across narrow bridges and along windy mountain roads and busy city streets with great skill. We flew into San Jose. In the central valley around San Jose, lots of coffee is grown,
along with ferns and houseplants to export. I saw many of the plants that I personally have killed in my very own home growing free and wild in Costa Rica.We also saw lots of wildlife. I will spare you all the pictures of birds and butterflies, but here is a nice iguana.
We went to two different active volcanoes. One, called Poas, had fumeroles coming out and the escaping gas sounded like water rushing in a river.
The second was especially active while we were there (it made the local news) and we went at night to see the glow of the lava coming down the side. This one was called Arenal, and we spent two days in the area.
We went kayaking on lake Arenal one day.
We also went to a fantastic hot springs where the water was heated by the volcano. This was so relaxing and didn't have any sulfur smell at all. The kids enjoyed the water slides, but Marc and I just relaxed. Just to end this entry, I'll add a couple pictures of animals we saw. Bryan with local caymans,
a poison arrow frog (did you know you would have to eat about fourteen of these guys to kill you?),
and a sloth.
Thu, 11 Jun 2009
Cub Scout CampThomas got to go to cub scout day camp this week. I think he's been having a lot of fun. The weather has been nice, not too hot with only the occasional rain to liven things up. Today I went also, and Melody went with me to babysit the little kids of the staff. Thomas has done lots of activities and crafts all week. Today they shot "wrist rockets" with paintballs in them,
did leather and designed a book cover,
built an electromagnet,
and learned about bird beaks, among other activities.
Melody had a good time because she likes little kids, and now she can add this experience to her babysitting resume.
By the way, today is National Taco Day, so we're having tacos for dinner. Gotta go and celebrate.
Sun, 07 Jun 2009
Free timeKids are now officially out of school and we all couldn't be happier about it. I'm done with boards and have a funny story to tell about how I almost didn't pass (but I did)
Now our thought turn to VACATION! We went swimming twice this week, played on the computer and the Wii, played with friends, and watched movies. It's a good thing that everyone got lots of relaxing done, 'cause now it's time to clean the house and get ready for company. We're excited that my dad and step-mom will be visiting here at the end of the week. They are here to watch Melody and Thomas while Bryan, Marc, and I go to Costa Rica with a group from Bryan's school. We've been looking forward to this all year, but in the meantime have to get packed and ready.
We've used the same system of doing chores for a few years now, but it seems that it is about time to find a new way because we've been getting lots of complaints lately. Anyway, I asked each child on Friday what they'd like to do to help clean the house for Grandma and Grandpa. Thomas said that he liked to clean windows. He reminded me that back when he was in the Montessori preschool they'd had "jobs" to do and he'd liked polishing the brass and silver. And he thinks cleaning windows is kind of like that. Isn't that amazing? We're finally reaping the benefits of preschool. I understand where he's coming from. Some chores around the house we like and some we don't. I personally hate vacuuming, but will clean bathrooms happily. Anyway, on Friday, Thomas cleaned all the windows in the house for me! Without complaining!!!!!!
Melody likes vacuuming (thankfully) and organizing. So she's a real help. We haven't found what Bryan likes yet, but he does help too.
So, on Saturday we found out it was our family's turn to clean the church. Thomas did all the windows while the rest of us vacuumed, emptied trash, and cleaned the bathrooms. Everyone worked hard and we did it all in only about an hour. Then we went out for ice cream. And after, Thomas decided that washing the car was kind of like cleaning windows (which is kind of like cleaning brass….
Bryan and Melody mowed the lawn together. When we're on vacation, Melody will have to do it alone, under the watchful eye of her grandfather.
So, summer's really here and we love it. Did I mention that the weather has been in the eighties and beautiful? I hope it stays. I also hope you are all enjoying summer now too.
Sat, 30 May 2009
And what a week it’s beenThis week I spent a lot of my time at the kids' schools. One day was culture day at Melody's school where the kids went from station to station all day long. The activities were supposed to represent different cultures. They started with bocce balls, then moved to the Tour de France.
Later they did frisbee golf
and the high jump ( I'm not sure what those had to do with "culture," but they were fun.)
Look at that high jump form! Here we come, Olympics! They also painted tiles for a mosaic, made boomerangs, and other activities. It was a fun day.
I was back at the middle school the next day for the end of year awards, and Friday to share Subway sandwiches with Melody.
Bryan had final drama performances one evening. Here he is doing a monologue from Macbeth.
And The Importance of Being Earnest (or Ernest?)
He also had track team awards night where he received a plaque for his hard work.
Thomas had a game day on Thursday and an awards ceremony also. And he had a writing celebration where they got to eat pizza and then the parents visited to read the books they've been writing all year. Thomas has some pretty amazing stories written. Maybe he'll be the one in the family to get published. This picture was taken of Thomas with his teacher, Mrs. Pelley. She has been very patient this year (enough said on that.)
Only one more day of school for Melody and Thomas, and two half-days for Bryan, and summer will be officially here! I have a few more days to study for my nursing boards and then I will be care-free also. Poor Marc. His job continues. Thankfully. Happy summer to you all.
Sun, 24 May 2009
More birthday trivia.Did I mention that Thomas got a stack-O-presents on his birthday?
He got a couple of books and also a couple of Nerf guns and a set of Lego. Whose idea were the Nerf guns, anyway?
Then, on Friday night, we all went to play Laser Tag as a family. Thomas invited one friend to go along. Then we came back to finish off the rest of the cake and ice cream.
We still had time for the movie Bolt afterward. It was so cute, it almost made me want to get a puppy.But not really. Yesterday we all had chores galore to do, as well as resting up from all our birthday celebrating.
Thu, 21 May 2009
Thomas Turns Ten Today!It is the sad case now that everyone residing at our house (except the cat) can now measure his or her age in double digits. So I guess it is all downhill from here as we all get old. Meanwhile we had a nice day celebrating Thomas' new age. He had BBQ bratwurst, noodles and cheese, and Texas Toast for dinner, followed by present opening and ice cream cake. Yum.
Sat, 16 May 2009
PinningLast night was my nursing pinning. It was a nice evening and represents a lot of hard work. I'm glad to be done, but glad I did it. I don't know what I'll do with all my time now
Thanks to my wonderful family who supported me through all this.
Bryan turns 16
We started this week by celebrating Bryan's 16th birthday. Since it's an important birthday, I did suggest a party, but Bryan chose to celebrate at home with the family. We ate BBQ tri-tip, asparagus, and couscous. Then the pile of presents was opened. 
He found a prize in a crackerjack box.
Bryan chose strawberry shortcake instead of the usual ice cream cake. I hadn't thought about how much harder it would be to place candles on shortcake, so ended up using a big candle to represent a ten and then six smaller ones.
Sat, 09 May 2009
A Spring WeekendThings are winding down for the school year. This week the kids had their end of the year piano recital. Thomas and Melody both did a great job, but Bryan wasn't able to participate because of a concurrent track engagement. Now we won't have piano lessons anymore for the whole summer. I hope the kids will practice occasionally anyway.
Melody had her choir concert the same night so we had to race to the high school auditorium. She did a good job at this also.
At the same time Bryan was involved in two days of district finals for track. For this meet he did the hurdles and just missed moving on in both events. He admitted that he was really glad for track to be over because it's been a lot of work. I wish I had a really good picture of Bryan at this track meet, but I finally decided to get a new camera because the old one kept giving me fuzzy pictures. So I just got it and took it to the track meet without the SD card. I was about to take a fantastic picture of Bryan when the camera told me that the internal memory was full!I was really annoyed at the missed opportunity. So I'm just learning how to work my new camera. It has lots of bells and whistles and I may have to actually read the manual for this one.
Another MAJOR accomplishment of the past week was that Bryan brought home a Montana quarter! This was the last quarter missing to complete our three State quarter collections. When Marc and I started these eight years ago, we figured that we'd soon turn them over to the kids to complete. But kids just don't handle that much cash, so Marc and I have done most of the work on them. Yeah! We're done. Now I hope the kids appreciate them and don't just go spend all the quarters.
Sun, 26 Apr 2009
Bryan runs trackBryan decided to join the track team this semester. It takes up an enormous amount of his time. Sometimes he has two or three meets a week and sometimes only one. Because my schedule has been so busy, I have only been able to make it to one meet up until now. At that one, Melody and Thomas and I huddled in the bleachers, freezing to death, before we found out that we'd arrived just after Bryan's second event anyway. So the only purpose in going was to give Bryan an early ride home.
Yesterday, Melody and I got to attend another meet. I'd been looking forward to it because the weather was supposed to warm up and so it would be a nice Saturday outside. Well, it was HOT. It was fun to watch Bryan run, but we were really tired when we got home.Oh, if you can't find Bryan in the pictures below, just look for the glaring farmer's tan, that's what we did.
To celebrate that it has finally warmed up, we took our first family bike ride of the season on Friday. We all rode to the park for a picnic dinner. Hopefully, we'll have a little more nice weather and it won't get too unbearably hot too soon.
Fri, 17 Apr 2009
Living MuseumA fourth grade tradition at Hawthorn is to do Living Museum. The kids research a famous person and write a biography on them. Then they "become" that person. When visitors to the museum come through they push a button and the students recite their memorized piece about the famous person. Last night, Thomas let me know that today was Living Museum. So today he became Brian Jaques, on eof his favorite authors. BJ is old and bald with a gray beard, so we cut Thomas' hair short. Here are the before and after pix.
Then add an English-style hat, and some tweed.
Add a beard and here Thomas is at school today. He did a great job on his presentation also.
Aren't school projects grand?
Easter
I've been too busy to post, with not much to write about anyway, but have been doing a few things besides school these days. First of all, I managed to sew Melody an Easter dress.
Then doing that reminded Melody and I that we had material bought last summer that we hadn't finished. So we sewed a skirt for Melody and then last Saturday when I was at the hospital all day, she made the shirt. I was proud of her because she did almost the whole thing by herself. When I came home, we had a couple small steps to finish. Anyway, here it is.
I don't think that I like to sew like I used to, but it is fun to do with Melody.
We also celebrated Easter by eating ham and potatoes. The Easter bunny hid some baskets and eggs in our basement even though the kids are way too old for such nonsense.
Sun, 29 Mar 2009
Happy birthday to me!I suppose it's a little self-centered, but I've nothing to write about this week except that today is my birthday. I was going to write about Bryan's track meet yesterday, but it was canceled due to heavy rain. The rain turned into snow last night and we woke up this morning to two inches of snow. The roads were clear and the sun came out and melted it all, but it was pretty for a while.
It was a pretty day for a birthday and everyone treated me stupendously. Melody made me a yummy breakfast and Marc made me a pot roast for dinner. Bryan did the dishes. I got hugs and cards as well as a Wii fit from everyone. What a nice day. Even though the Wii says I am old and everyone beat me to pieces at the various activities. I should be used to that by now.
Oh yeah, Melody also made me a yumelicious ice cream cake. We only ate a part of it. And I blew out the candles, so I get my wish, but after all that royal treatment, I couldn't think of anything to wish for anyway…
Sun, 22 Mar 2009
Spring breakSince it was Spring break, I took one day and had lunch in the cafeteria with Thomas. Parents are encouraged to do that around here and I don't know for how many more years Thomas will want me to visit. While we were eating, the boys down the table were showing off their biceps to each other. Thomas rolled his eyes and said that they do that a lot. I thought it was funny, because although the guys around our house aren't obsessed with it, they do the same thing occasionally.
Besides lunch with Thomas, there wasn't much else that I did special. I got to take Thomas back to the doctor for strep throat again. I guess I'm glad that happened when I had time. Otherwise, it was a normal week. And on normal weeks we have our traditional Friday night pizza and movie night. I alternate between making pizza and buying it at either Aldi or Sam's club. But we have a new option. We are really excited that a Papa Murphy's opened not too far away. We used to like them when we lived in Shingle Springs. So Friday we enjoyed a Papa Murpy's pizza and cheesy bread along with our movie.
On Saturday, we had several things going on. It was the regional science fair for Thomas as well as the robotics competition for Bryan. So I dropped Thomas' project off at the community college, packed a picnic lunch, and we all drove to Saint Louis University (SLU) for the robotics. The event this year was called Lunacy and consisted of throwing "moon rocks" in the trailers towed by the robots of your competition.I didn't get any good pictures, but team 1094 is in the upper left corner.You'll have to go to the First Robotics web site if you want to see better pictures of this event. This is really a good organization.
It wasn't as fun to watch as in some previous years, but still was fun. The weather was a little chilly, so our picnic was eaten sitting in the van in the parking garage. The sun came out after lunch so we took a couple of pictures outside. It is a really pretty campus. I like the old brick buildings. The SLU mascot is a "Billiken" and in case you've never heard of one, I took a picture. Now you know. It is supposed to be good luck to rub the tummy.
Bryan evidently didn't rub the tummy enough because his team was eliminated after the quarterfinals. So we drove back to Thomas' science fair to find that he'd come in first place in the regional fair!
I didn't see him rub the tummy either but maybe he got close enough cause I know judging at these science fairs is always a matter of luck. Thomas was happy about the big trophy he received. And Bryan enjoyed the evening BBQ and hanging out with the robotics team anyway. A final picture, lest Thomas get a big head about his win. How smart do you think he is to do this?
Sun, 15 Mar 2009
Spring break is finally here (for me)
Did I mention that Thomas has been studying Peru in his JET class? Two weeks ago he had an open house and we got to go and see all the projects that the class had been making. They had quite the display. Here Thomas is standing on the bridge that goes over the Amazon River. If you look closely, you can see a pirahna sneaking up to attack his foot. Thomas also displayed weaving, a copper mask, and a model of Machu Pichu out of paper mache. Since I've always been interested in Peru, it was interesting for me. Maybe Thomas and I can visit the real Peru together someday.
Since I had this picture, I remembered the above event, but otherwise couldn't think of what else has been happening this week. I am THRILLED to be done with my clinical assignment and move on to a five-week preceptorship at my nearby hospital. I think the hardest parts of my semester are over. Adding to my joy is the fact that this is Spring break for me and I can start to get caught up before the preceptorship starts. Maybe I'll clean the house…no, that would be too drastic
Speaking of cleaning up. What do you do when your refrigerator is filled with leftovers? Some weeks I have quite the collection by the weekend and make everyone live on leftovers on Saturdays and Sundays while I choose not to cook. That does get old, however. Yesterday, I told people they were on their own, but the leftovers were still waiting for me this morning. Marc said, "It sounds like a restaurant for dinner tonight." That is one of our ways of getting rid of our extra food. I took a picture of our menu tonight but think it might be too small to read. The menu was very cryptic like "mud with scoopers", "brown goo", "pricklies", "green balls". Anyway, tonight we had this obnoxious waitress who took everyone's order and then served us. I should have taken a picture. Melody and Thomas used to get into this and make us nice paper menus, but the last two times we have gone to this restaurant, the menu has just been written on this tacky white board. So that's how our exciting life goes around here, school and leftovers. Next week the kids will have time off so maybe we will do something more exciting than leftovers.
Sat, 07 Mar 2009
Another weekNo pictures this week. Nothing to say. I find that when I get out of the habit of writing, then I can't think of anything to write. When I know I want to sit down and write once a week, I am looking at my week in terms of which parts of it I'd like to share with all of you. But when I'm not used to writing, I sit down and can't think of anything interesting at all in the world that is happening in our family.
That is why I am going to tell you about our cat. She has always liked to play with pom poms, but lately she has turned into a cat who plays "fetch." The last few days she'll bring me her blue ball (a pom pom about 3/4 of an inch around)and drop it beside me. If I throw it she runs after it, skidding all over the kitchen floor with it, and then brings it back to me and drops it. It's kind of like playing fetch with a dog. This is unusual behavior for a cat.
When things get really boring around here I tell you about the weather. It turned warm at the end of this week. Yesterday was just beautiful. The birds sang, the sun shone, the flowers bloomed (the first of them) and we all had to stay inside. Except lucky Thomas who got to go on a field trip to our local toxic waste site. He got to hike to the top of the Weldon Spring Superfund Cleanup site and learn about radiation and rocks. He came home sunburned and we were all jealous. He had a fun day.
The weather was so nice that Marc and I, instead of our usual movie night, went to Old Town St. Charles and walked down the street to just enjoy the warm weather. Old Town is really pretty at night. We had dinner outside on a balcony overlooking the street. It was a nice change from our rushed and harried week. Today everyone is just relaxing and getting caught up. The weather is still warm, but it is cloudy. The warm weather always brings thinderstorms and they are predicted for tomorrow.
Bryan started track this week so was pretty busy with practices every night in addition to his regular activities. And Melody stayed after for her usual activities as well as getting ready for the talent show in two weeks. I'm always glad to see them having so much fun with their activities.
Speaking of activities, I just thought of some things that I have to do around here, so I guess I'll end this rambling for now and try to come up with something interesting to write about.
Sun, 01 Mar 2009
A missed monthAnd now it's March. I'm not sure what happened to the month of February. It really is a short month and likely to be missed if one blinks a couple of times. I mean, it's not like I missed writing in my blog for the month of March or something! Actually, February was an awfully busy month for everyone, punctuated by the occasional snow day where we sat home and did nothing. Some highlights were:
Thomas forgetting to bring home the paper telling me about the science fair, so when I finally learned about it, he only had five days to put together an entire project… Good thing he's had his idea since last summer. The resulting project on whether people could identify the taste of Skittles without seeing them won third prize in the science fair. Imagine if he'd had a whole week.
Melody deciding to try out for her school talent show. Since I don't sing at all, I couldn't help Melody or her friend practice their singing act. Marc set up a microphone for them, and Bryan even gave them a few pointers, but they mostly put together their act on their own. Yeah, they made it through auditions and now have to prepare for the actual show in three weeks!
Bryan working long hours to help backstage in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." The show was the last three nights and was a hit! We saw it on Friday and were very impressed with how far this young drama department has come. Here Bryan is sitting on top of Schroeder's piano.Once again, my pictures turned out fuzzy. It must be about time for a new camera.
Marc, working days, and lots of nights too, to solve fascinating problems that shouldn't have happened in the first place.What a great job!
And me, just counting the days until spring break. Thankfully, there are only thirteen.
To celebrate Valentine's Day as a family, we ate chocolate fondue. Yum.
We have crocuses blooming on the back hill, and tulips just peeking out of the ground in the front yard, so spring is around the corner. This has been a mild winter, but we're still anxious for spring as always. I hope things are more sane around here and I can find time to write regularly.
Thu, 29 Jan 2009
Pinewood DerbyTonight was Pinewood Derby for Thomas. Bryan got to be the starter and the rest of us cheered on Thomas' carefully crafted car. Alas, all there is to say about the results was that Thomas did not come in last in every race. But we had a good time and the cake was good. I didn't get any pictures of the event because my batteries died, but I took this picture when we came home. Thomas seems to come out blurry in just about every picture I take of him. Perhaps it is because he is like Dash from The Incredibles and he is never really standing still even when I think he is…
Wed, 28 Jan 2009
skiingDid I say after my work? It was just too nice outside and so Melody and I went skiing for a little while around the school grounds. It's a beautiful day today.
finally…snow!
Except for a dusting at Thanksgiving, we've not had any snow until now. Finally, we had a storm. It snowed two nights ago, on and off all day yesterday, then snowed harder last night. It's sunny today, so a great day to play in the new snow!The kids (and I) got two days off school. I don't even have to make mine up. So it's kind of like a mini-vacation in the middle of the week. Of course, we've all had colds, so yesterday we mostly just rested and relaxed. I have a lot of other work to do this morning, but if I get caught up, I might even get my skiis on and go explore later today. I love snow.
I opened the back door this morning to take a couple of pictures of the snow and Runway, the Indoor-only cat, went running out and down the stairs. At the bottom she screeched to a stop and just stood there, paws in the snow. She stood for a long time, not sure what to do, while I tried to decide what I should do since I didn't have shoes on yet. As I slowly put my boots on, she started to meow plaintively. Then she ran back up the stairs. I hope that cures her of any desire for the great outdoors.
Gotta go now so I can play in the snow later!
Sun, 25 Jan 2009
Eagle watchingYesterday, Melody's science club at school went on a field trip and I went along as a chaperone. It was COLD but sunny and so was a perfect day to go to Eagle Days in Clarksville. In the winter, the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers is generally the first open water that the eagles find as they migrate south, so a lot of eagles spend the winter here. Additionally, just below a dam is a good spot because the fish are stunned as they travel though and so are easier to catch. This is what we learned yesterday at Eagle days. We did go to Eagle days a couple of years ago, but the weather had been fairly warm then, so we only saw a few eagles. This year, we were told is the best in many years.A recent survey of the area counted about two thousand eagles. There were quite a few where we were yesterday and we watched them diving for fish.There were also a lot of white pelicans on the river. It was fun to watch them all as we huddled by the fire to stay warm. We also went to a program where we saw eagles from the World Bird Sanctuary and watched a movie about eagles.
On the way home we saw all this neat ice beside the road.
Mon, 19 Jan 2009
Not much going onI feel bad that I haven't written for two weeks, but there really has been nothing to say. The kids went back to school and I have been just getting things caught up so that I can start school this week. I guess I could have written about the fascinating time Melody and I went through my messy sewing corner and restacked all the fabric.That was a big achievement around here, but not very interesting. Neither is the fact that I finally got my passport so that I can go on vacation with Bryan and Marc. I finally got new copies of Melody's and Thomas' birth certificate so their applications are ready to send off. I ordered and received my new textbooks for school and cleaned off my desk of last semester's junk and made up my calendar of menus for the next three months so I am ready for school to start .None of that sounds like very much, but those things, along with laundry and grocery shopping, etc. have filled my last two weeks.
I have not played on the Wii while everyone was gone at school, but I really should have. When we play Mario cart as a family, I consistently spend my time running into things that I shouldn't and then coming in last. Since I've almost never played video games this is understandable, and I am getting a little better, but it is nonetheless pitiful.
Today is MLK day, so the kids are off school once again, while Marc is working. We need to rake the last of our leaves and run a few errands. Tomorrow I look forward to watching the presidential inauguration on TV. Maybe this week we'll do something worth writing about. Or maybe I'll take a picture. Who knows?
Sun, 04 Jan 2009
School starts tomorrowWell, it's time to go to bed, but I had to mention that "last-night-before-school-starts-rush" that always happens. Two days ago I said to everyone, "So, school starts in two days. Is everybody absolutely sure that you have all your homework done and everything ready to go back to school?" You know the routine. Since we've had two weeks off it really is inconceivable that anyone would not be ready to go back.
Guess who just remembered a two page paper that needs to be written for English? Marc calls his blog a rant, but I guess that's what this is too. Just a chance to complain to the world about the "joys" of parenthood.
Fri, 02 Jan 2009
End of 2008 activitiesGoodbye to 2008. We had no snow for Christmas or New Year's. Maybe 2009 will bring snow. The weather turned pretty warm so we went to Forest Park in St. Louis one day of winter break. We started at the science center and then Melody and I went to the zoo. Since we hadn't been to the zoo in awhile, it was a treat for me.The kids usually vote for the science center.
The next day, we drove to Chicago to see Katie, Kevin,and Lara Dill, who had flown out for a visit. We hung out on Navy Pier all day and then for dinner went on a quest for the ultimate Chicago style pizza . The quest was pretty fun, but the pizza was even better, and definitely added to the Chicago experience. It was best, of course, to be able to see the Dills even if only for an afternoon.
We wish you all a happy New Year!
Jan Dill Hall St. Peters, Missouri
Page created: 09 November 2008
Page modified: 31 December 2009
